17 Best Ginger Ale Cocktails

You won’t be able to resist these ginger ale cocktails!

Unlike ginger beer, which contains liquor, ginger ale is a type of carbonated drink flavored with ginger and some sugar. 

It’s often used in a variety of ginger ale cocktails to provide warmth, a touch of spice, and some bubbles to the mix. 

Ginger Ale Cocktails & Drink Recipes

In truth, ginger ale and ginger beer are mostly interchangeable. Using ginger ale will just make the drink lower in alcohol and slightly sweeter.

It also has a more mild ginger flavor.

Not only that, but ginger ale is often far cheaper than beer, making it perfect when serving a crowd. 

I’ll raise my glass to that!

1. Blackberry Moscow Mule

A classic Moscow mule is made using vodka, ginger beer, and lime juice. It’s fresh, fizzy, and super easy to modify. 

In this case, you’ll use real berries for a fruity finish.

However, that ingredient isn’t available all year, so you can either add blackberry juice or a splash of Torani blackberry syrup. 

Another great option would be Crème de Mûre, which is deeply flavorful and will make up for the lack of liquor in the drink.

Ingredients: vodka, blackberries, lime juice, ginger ale, ice, limes for garnish

2. Dark and Stormy

This is one of my all-time favorite cocktail recipes. I love the way lime and dark rum complement the spicy flavor of ginger beer. 

Of course, this version is a little lighter as it uses ginger ale as the mixer. 

You can use white rum if that’s what you prefer, but this drink calls for something deep, dark, and intensely caramel-flavored. 

Try to find something aged and very dark.

And since the drink originated in the Caribbean, look for something local, like Mount Gay Rum Black Barrel or Gosling’s Black Seal Rum.

Ingredients: dark rum, ginger ale, ice, lime wedge for garnish

3. Easy Whiskey Ginger Cocktail

So, the Moscow Mule has vodka & lime, the dark & stormy uses rum & lime, and now, this recipe calls for whiskey & lime. 

These cocktail recipes are almost the same, just with a change in one ingredient.

As I said, I much prefer the dark and stormy, but that’s only because I adore rum. But if you’re a whiskey drinker, you’ll love this simple cocktail. 

Pro-tip: for an Irish twist, use Irish whiskey!

Ingredients: whiskey, ginger ale, lime wedge for garnish

4. Ginger Shandy

A shandy is essentially a beer with a ‘lemonade top.’

Being served all over the UK, lemonade actually means Sprite (or any citrus soda) and not the lemonade we drink in the States.

Basically, the bartender pours around 2/3-3/4 of a pint and then tops the highball glass up with lemonade.

It’s what a lot of younger drinkers choose because it’s light and refreshing. 

This version obviously uses ginger ale in place of Sprite, which I think would be the perfect fall drink. 

Ingredients: beer, ginger ale

5. Grumpy Old Man

Here’s another bubbly cocktail that uses ginger ale, lime juice, and booze. Only this time, it’s bourbon. 

I know a lot of whiskey drinkers who can sip at and enjoy it straight, but my sweet tooth leans towards bourbon. 

This drink is sort of the middle ground between the whiskey cocktail and the Dark and Stormy.

It’s not quite as sweet as the latter, but it’s not quite as strong as the former either. 

It’s perfect for those looking for a super simple and extra tasty cocktail with a kick of spice. 

Ingredients: bourbon, ginger ale, lime juice

6. Pimm’s Cup

Pimm’s was first created in 1823 by James Pimm in London, where the gin-based fruit cup was already incredibly popular. 

Pimm’s consists of gin, lemonade, and ginger ale. It is served in a highball glass and garnished with fruits, such as strawberry, orange, & cucumber.

Pimm’s combines a slightly sweet and spicy flavor, which some have said is like a cross between Jagermeister, apple juice, and iced tea.

Sounds odd, I know, but if you like gin cocktails that aren’t overly sweet, this is the one to try. 

Ingredients: Pimm’s No. 1, lemon juice, ginger ale, and mint, cucumber, strawberry, lemon wedge & orange for garnish

7. Tequila and Ginger Ale Cocktail

Also known as a Mexican Mule, this drink consists of ginger ale, lime juice, and tequila served in a highball glass.

Like rum, I also love tequila. So this is another drink I make and order often.

One way I like to spice this spirit (literally) is to use homemade jalapeńo ginger beer.

Trust me, it’s such a subtle heat, but it’s so good against the tequila and ginger flavors. 

Or, if you don’t want to start fermenting things at home, try adding a dash of this jalapeńo simple syrup.

Ingredients: gold tequila, lime, ginger ale, ice, salt to rim the glass

8. Hibiscus Ginger Punch

Hibiscus has a very specific sweet yet sour flavor that’s a little bit floral and quite close to cranberry in taste. 

When cooking or making drinks, it’s best to use dried flowers, which are super affordable and will last forever if you keep them in an air-tight container. 

For this ginger ale cocktail, you’ll start by making a ginger and hibiscus syrup, to which you’ll then add ginger ale and champagne or sparkling wine. 

The result is a sweet & fizzy cocktail with fruity and floral notes.

Ingredients: champagne, ginger ale, hibiscus blossoms, ginger, sugar

9. Blackberry Ginger Ale Mojito

Blackberries are used in cocktail recipes for their deep flavor and incredible color.

Where blueberries might wash out when you add other ingredients, blackberries will make any drink vibrant.

Plus, they’re not too sweet but rather have a bit of sourness, which pairs so well with ingredients like vodka and ginger ale. 

If you care to sweeten it, though, that’s nothing some grenadine can’t fix.

What’s also fantastic about this recipe is you won’t need to add any sugar to the mix. The fruit should be more than enough. 

Ingredients: rum, ginger ale, blackberries, ginger, mint

10. Cranberry Rum Ginger Ale

Cranberries are a terrific sweet and sour berry that not only makes your cocktail bright and fresh but also adds a ton of natural flavor without any extra sugar.

You’ll notice that this other cocktail recipes, this one calls for white rum. It’s more or less flavorless, but its slight sweetness pairs adds more flavor. 

That’s another reason you don’t need simple syrup in here. But if you wanted to use vodka instead, you might need a splash of sugar. 

Ingredients: white rum, cranberry ginger ale

11. Kentucky Lemonade Recipe

This is the kind of summer spirit you’d want to sip on in the sunshine by the pool. It’s light, citrusy, bubbly, and not so boozy that it’s all you can taste. 

You’ll start by making spiked lemonade (the regular kind!) by heating sugar and water until it’s smooth and then stirring in lemon juice, mint, and bourbon.

That alone will be tart and tasty. But when you top it off with ginger ale, you get notes of spice and fun bubbles to boot. 

Ingredients: bourbon, ginger ale, sugar, lemon wedge & juice, mint

12. Rhubarb Gin and Ginger Ale Cocktail

Like lemons, rhubarb is naturally sour, and most cocktail recipes it’s used in require a lot of sugar to mellow it out. 

Rhubarb gin is floral, lightly spiced, and full of sweet and sour flavors. Mix that with ginger ale, and it makes a fizzy, very invigorating cocktail. 

If you can’t find rhubarb gin, just make your own! All you’ll need is pink rhubarb, gin, and sugar.

From there, feel free to add strawberries, apples, or oranges to the mix. 

Ingredients: rhubarb gin, ginger ale, orange wedge for garnish

13. Greyhound Drink- Grapefruit Vodka Cocktail

Believe it or not, this drink comes from Greyhound terminal restaurants and was made using canned grapefruit juice, sugar, and vodka.

Of course, this version uses fresh juice (grapefruit and lime) for the mixer. If you can’t find fresh, though, go ahead and use ready-made.

Just try to find something from concentrate and not sweetened. 

You’ve probably concluded that this drink is pretty tart and bitter, and you’re right. So, if you prefer sweet drinks, it might not be for you. 

If you’re intent on giving it a try, though, a splash of grenadine will sweeten it up.

Ingredients: vodka, grapefruit, ginger ale, lime, ice

14. Gin Buck

Not too long ago, people would drink plain old, non-alcoholic ginger ale, and it was known as a horse’s neck, though I don’t know why. 

A buck comes from this, adding citrus and liquor. The name is suggestive of a horse bucking, as in, this drink has a kick. 

Traditional buck cocktails used brandy, which was a cheap & readily available ingredient at the time.

This twisted recipe calls for gin, which is lighter and more fragrant. 

Ingredients: gin, lime or lemon wedge & juice, ginger beer

15. Ginger Orange Vodka Press

The vodka press is a type of mixed drink that calls for vodka (naturally), soda water, and citrus soda, like Sprite. You’ll often see it with a wedge of lime, too.

If you’re a vodka-soda fan, that will be enough for you. 

But if you’re looking for something a little different, just swap the mixer to make this spiced version. 

Instead of soda water, you’ll use ginger ale, and rather than Sprite, try using orange seltzer. You’ll also add orange juice to boost that flavor.

Ingredients: vodka, ginger ale, citrus sparkling water, orange juice, orange slice for garnish

16. Ginger Ale Highball

This two-ingredient cocktail calls for just ginger ale and whiskey, along with plenty of ice and a highball glass.

Yes, it’s very similar to the buck recipe above, and in fact, some people even call this a horse’s neck. It changes depending on where you are, I guess. 

Of course, this fizzy drink doesn’t include lime juice, though feel free to add a dash if you want.

Ingredients: whiskey, ginger ale

17. Christmas Punch

This Christmas punch is a blend of cranberry juice, sparkling wine, apple cider, ginger ale, and rum.

Apart from the festive look and flavor, this cocktail is also affordable and perfect for feeding a crowd. 

It uses ginger ale as its mixer, which is wonderfully light & sweet, and fizzy & bubbly. 

And because it’s much cheaper than ginger beer, you can make a table of drinks or much less.

Ingredients: dry sparkling wine, cranberry juice, apple cider, ginger ale, dark rum, cranberries & oranges for garnish, ice

Bonus Recipe: Shirley Temple

While it’s technically a mocktail, a list of ginger ale cocktails isn’t complete without the most classic of them all.

Shirley Temple is a light, sweet, and fizzy concoction of ginger ale, Sprite, and grenadine. It’s simple but it hits the spot.

It’s perfect if you’re underage, pregnant, alcohol intolerant, or simply not in the mood for liquor.

Ingredients: ginger ale, Sprite, grenadine, ice, cherries for garnish